Sailing facts for kids

Hanse Sail, Rostock

Tall ship Christian Radich under sail

Sailing is the craft of controlling a boat that uses the force of the wind as a source of movement. Sailing boats were very important to move cargo and people. Starting at the end of the 19th century they were gradually replaced by the boats that used steam to generate motion. Today, sailing is a hobby some people have. In some regions of the world, sailing vessels still keep their importance. Many military forces also have sailing vessels for the purpose of training.

Sailing is also a competitive sport. It is one of the sports in the Olympic Games.

Images for kids

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  Fijian voyaging outrigger boat with a crab claw sail

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  Replica of Christopher Columbus's carrack, Santa María under sail

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  A late-19th-century American clipper ship

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  A French squadron forming a line of battle circa 1840.

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  Cruising sailing yacht at anchor in Duck Harbor on Isle au Haut, Maine

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  Comanche leaving Newport, Rhode Island for Plymouth, England in the 2015 Rolex Transatlantic Race

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  Points of sail (and predominant sail force component for a displacement sailboat). A. Luffing (no propulsive force) — 0-30° B. Close-hauled (lift)— 30–50° C. Beam reach (lift)— 90° D. Broad reach (lift–drag)— ~135° E. Running (drag)— 180° True wind (VT) is the same everywhere in the diagram, whereas boat velocity (VB) and apparent wind (VA) vary with point of sail.

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  Two sailing yachts on opposite tacks

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  18ft Skiff, flying a sprit-mounted asymmetrical spinnaker on a broad reach

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  The ocean currents

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  A Contender dinghy trimmed for a reach with the sail aligned with the apparent wind and the crew providing moveable ballast to promote planing

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  Spinnakers are adapted for sailing off the wind.

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  Aerodynamic force components for two points of sail. Left-hand boat: Down wind with detached airflow like a parachute— predominant drag component propels the boat with little heeling moment. Right-hand boat: Up wind (close-hauled) with attached airflow like a wing—predominant lift component both propels the boat and contributes to heel.

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  Sail angles of attack (α) and resulting (idealized) flow patterns for attached flow, maximum lift, and stalled for a hypothetical sail. The stagnation streamlines (red) delineate air passing to the leeward side (top) from that passing to the windward (bottom) side of the sail.

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  Close-hauled: the flag is streaming backwards, the sails are sheeted in tightly.

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  Reaching: the flag is streaming slightly to the side as the sails are sheeted to align with the apparent wind.

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  Running: the wind is coming from behind the vessel; the sails are "wing on wing" to be at right angles to the apparent wind.

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  Apparent wind and forces on a sailboat. As the boat sails further from the wind, the apparent wind becomes smaller and the lateral component becomes less; boat speed is highest on the beam reach.

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  Apparent wind on an iceboat. As the iceboat sails further from the wind, the apparent wind increases slightly and the boat speed is highest on the broad reach. The sail is sheeted in for all three points of sail.

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  Tacking from the port tack (bottom) to the starboard (top) tack

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  Spinnaker set for a broad reach, generating both lift, with separated flow, and drag.

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  Spinnaker cross-section trimmed for a broad reach showing transition from boundary layer to separated flow where vortex shedding commences.

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  Symmetric spinnaker while running downwind, primarily generating drag.

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  Symmetric spinnaker cross-section with following apparent wind, showing vortex shedding.

See also

In Spanish: Navegación a vela para niños